BJP's Udit Raj alleges Kejriwal 'hand' in Santosh Koli death

Udit Raj, the BJP candidate from North West Delhi, on Sunday alleged that Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal may have been involved in the accident that led to the death of party member Santosh Koli last year.

Koli was a founder-member of AAP and was killed in a road accident in Ghaziabad last year. She was the party’s candidate from Seemapuri for the Delhi assembly elections.

In a statement, the prominent Dalit leader claimed that after a “detailed investigation”, he has reached the conclusion that there was a strong possibility that Kejriwal was involved in the accident.

“It may not be out of place to mention here that Santosh Koli was in the know of things about the receipt of funds by Arvind Kejriwal from different sources and their use by him and other shady deals about which she had filed an affidavit in a court seeking a detailed enquiry… Santosh Koli was also gaining popularity in the party hierarchy and among the masses. Both these factors were a great eye sore to Arvind Kejriwal and there is a strong possibility that he wanted to eliminate her,” the statement said.

When reached for a comment, Raj said he had not read the statement issued by his office.

“Kejriwal had claimed that either the Congress or BJP was behind the accident. Why didn’t he order a probe into the matter during his tenure as chief minister?,” he asked. Delhi BJP president Harsh Vardhan said he had also heard similar rumours. “Udit Raj is a responsible candidate and must have said this on the basis of proof. The demand for an inquiry into her death is legitimate. It seems something is not right,” Vardhan said. AAP, however, rejected the allegations.

“The BJP wants to deflect attention from the core issues and that is why its candidates are making such claims,” said a party spokesperson.